Obsession
by Gin
Summary: What happened to Mac? Who did it to him? MacDanny slash established relationship


Title: Obsession  
Author: Ginny  
Fandom: CSI: NY  
Pairing: Mac/Danny  
Rating: FRM  
Disclaimer: Not mine  
Summary: What happened Mac? Who did it to him?  
Warnings: Slash. Character bashing  
Author's Note: For Fruitbat's birthday. I fulfilled most of the requirements. Mac's in jeopardy. Danny needs to rescue him. And he goes through the emotional ringer, it's just that most of it is off paper. Happy birthday Fruitbat! Hope it's a great one!

--------

"Mac? Are you okay?" Lindsay asked in concern as she gazed intently at her supervisor.

"Yes. Why?"

"You're ... um ... you're drooling," she explained and, picking up a tissue, she wiped it off her chin. "And slurring."

Mac blushed and tried to take the tissue. "I'm just a bit tired. If you'll excuse me," and he hurried away.

-----

"You wanted to see me Mac?" Stella asked, stepping into his office.

"Yes. You requested a week off, starting next Tuesday," he said, picking up a piece of paper.

"Yes. Frankie and I wanted to go away for a few days," the soft look in her eyes made him smile slightly.

"Things are working out for the two of you, aren't they?"

"They are," she even sounded surprised. "I wasn't sure at first ... but there's just something about him."

"I'm happy for you Stella. The time is yours. You have more than enough on the books."

"Thanks," she smiled and then fixed a concerned gaze on him. "Are you okay? You keep patting at your mouth."

He dropped his hand immediately. Knowing that he'd never get away with lying to her, he admitted, "My mouth is tingling a bit."

"You should get that checked out."

"I'm sure it's nothing. I will if it continues though."

"You'd better. I know who to tell if you don't take care of yourself," she smirked.

He rolled his eyes, "Go back to whatever you were doing. You still have five days until your vacation."

-----

"What are you doing here Danny?" Lindsay asked in surprise when she entered the Trace lab and found Danny already processing evidence.

"Why wouldn't I be here?" he gave her a slightly confused look. His presence around the lab was rarely questioned.

"It's Saturday."

"And this is a big case. The Russian ambassador's niece was killed. Mac called all of us in."

"I thought that Mac called me specifically," she said more to herself than to him.

"It's a big, political nightmare of a case. He called all of us."

"Oh. I see."

-----

"I want to hear theories people," Mac ordered, sipping his coffee.

"What if Talia wasn't our intended victim?" Danny offered. "Maybe it was Nadia and he got confused."

"That's stupid," Lindsay snapped. "The shooter walked into the party, made them all line up against the wall and the pulled Talia out. He looked at all of them."

"But Talia and Nadia are cousins. Their mothers are sisters and they look remarkably alike except for the fact that Nadia had dyed her hair red that morning."

"To match her dress," Stella picked up in realization. "If our murderer thought he was looking for a brunette, he wouldn't have payed much attention to the redhead."

"He's not going to go in there and not know exactly what his victim looks like. Mac, you agree with me on this, don't you?" Lindsay turned pleadingly to their boss.

But Mac was pale and sweating. "I - uh - I'm with the others on this. See if Nadia has any - has any enemies," he stammered and rushed from the room.

"I'll check on him," Danny said after a moment of stunned silence.

-----

"Mac?" Danny called softly as he stepped into the restroom Mac had disappeared into. He swore quietly when he found Mac leaning over one of the toilets, breathing heavily.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were sick?" he demanded.

"I didn't think I was... came on suddenly," Mac told him before vomiting once more.

Danny rolled his eyes at the denial. "I'm going to get Hawkes. And then you're going to the hospital."

"I don't need–" but he couldn't finish the sentence.

Danny ignored him and stepped into the hall where the others were gathered. "Hawkes? Can I borrow you for a second? And I'll take that bottle of water." He snagged the bottle out of Stella's hand and disappeared back inside.

"Can I do something?" Lindsay requested but the door slammed shut in her face. She glared at it before turning to Stella. "That wasn't nice of them."

Stella shrugged. "Mac's not going to be happy that any of us are here to witness this. Hawkes, at least, is a doctor and has the expertise to be helpful."

"And Danny?"

Stella shrugged again. "He's male. It's easier to show weakness in front of him than us females."

"That's stupid."

"Men are."

-----

"Tell me how you've been feeling," Hawkes ordered, kneeling next to Mac who had moved to sit against the wall by the sinks.

"Nauseous. And ... off slightly." He took the water bottle that Danny offered and took a cautious sip.

"Off how?"

Mac sighed deeply. "I feel like I'm moving through think soup."

"How long have you been feeling ill?"

"Just now. I was fine at the beginning of the meeting."

"It's been a week," Danny interrupted and Mac glared at him. "Your mouth has been tingly. And numb."

"Stella talked to you."

"She didn't have to."

Mac flushed a deeper red. "I thought I'd hidden it better than that."

"I've known you for six years Mac. Tell Hawkes everything or I will."

"It's sporadic. Sometimes my mouth tingles and sometimes it's numb. But not always. And I've been nauseous off and on for the last week."

"Have you been eating anything unusual? Come into contact with anything?"

"No."

"It sounds like some type of poisoning. I really think we should get you to the hospital and have them run tests."

"Now isn't a good time. We have a murderer to find." But any protest he might've had was cut short as soon as he stood and tried to take a step. He left leg collapsed from under him and he would have fallen if Danny and Hawkes hadn't managed to catch him in time. "Okay... let's do that."

"What's going on?" Lindsay asked as soon as they stepped out of the restroom.

"Nothing important." Hawkes said. "We're just going to make a quick trip to the hospital to run a few tests and everything will be fine."

"We'll go with you."

"No. I need you and Stella here. Run a background on Nadia."

"Mac!" Lindsay's protest was cut short when Mac's eyes rolled upward and he collapsed into Danny's arms, unconscious.

-----

"Stop pacing Montana!" Danny snapped. "I can't take it!"

"Shut up! I told you to stop calling me Montana. And I'm concerned about our boss. I don't know how you can sit there so nonchalantly, like there's nothing going on," she shot back.

Stella's had on his arm kept Danny from going after her. "Both of you stop it," she ordered. "If Hawkes is right, he's going to be just fine."

The doctor chose that moment to walk into the waiting room. "I'm looking for Detective Messer or Detective Bonasera?"

"That's us," Danny said, standing up and pulling Stella with him.

"You're both listed as Detective Taylor's emergency contacts. I'm Dr. Frakes." They nodded.

"Why are you one of Mac's?" Lindsay asked, but stepped back slightly when he glared at her. Now wasn't the time.

"How is he?" Stella asked.

"He's going to be just fine. He's conscious now. Dr. Hawkes' diagnosis was correct. Detective Taylor has been exposed to Puffer fish poison. It looks like it was small doses over the last week or two. We're going to monitor him as it works its way out of his system, but it looks like there should be no lasting damage and he should be just fine in a few days."

There were sighs of relief from all for CSIs. "Can we see him?" Hawkes asked.

Frakes nodded. "He's being settled into a room now. You can see him shortly," he promised. "But I'd prefer it if only one or two of you went in at a time." They nodded their agreement and he excused himself.

-----

"Why is Danny one of Mac's emergency contacts?" Lindsay asked Hawkes while they waited outside the room for their turn to visit with him. "Stella, I understand, but not Danny."

Hawke's hesitated before answering. "They've worked together for over six years. It just makes sense for them to have each other listed, that way we can get the updates as soon as possible."

She nodded, but felt like there was something more to the story.

-----

"Hi," Mac greeted weakly when Stella and Danny entered the room. He smiled up at Danny when the younger man picked up his hand and brushed a kiss against it.

"You scared me."

"I'm sorry." He genuinely was sorry that he'd worried Danny.

"Just don't do it again, okay?"

"I'll try not to, Love."

Stella smiled at the exchange. It always thrilled her when these two let their love really show in front of other people.

-----

"How did Mac get exposed to Puffer fish poison?" Danny asked Stella as they took their turn waiting out in the hall. "Dr. Frakes said it was minor doses over an extended period of time. That sounds like it was on purpose, doesn't it."

"It does," she agreed. "How many people are close enough to Mac on a daily basis to be able to get away with that– without him knowing."

"Someone he trusts. That's you, me, Hawkes, Lindsay, and maybe a couple of the techs." He sunk into a chair and buried his head in his hands. "This is not good."

"There has to be someone else," Stella interjected. "No one in the lab would do this to him."

"I hope you're right Stella."

-----

"Dr. Frakes said that someone has to take care of Mac the first few days he's at home. I'll do it," Lindsay volunteered.

"That's okay, I'm going to do it," Danny informed her causally, sipping the terrible vending machine coffee.

She glared at him. "I don't mind. I'd be more than happy to take care of him."

"I'm going to do it," Danny simply repeated.

She threw up her hands in anger. "Why you? Stella, I can see because they've been friends forever. But she's going away with Frankie tomorrow. Or Hawkes because he's a doctor. You, I don't get."

"Maybe he'd rather stay with someone that he knows."

"I know him better than you. You didn't even know that he plays bass guitar in a jazz club on Wednesdays."

Danny glared at her over his coffee cup. "I know him better than you think I do."

"I'm going to take care of him!" she insisted.

"You're not."

"You shouldn't either. You're just a screw-up CSI who shoots undercover officers."

Silence followed her cheap shot as Stella and Hawkes stared at her in shock. Danny held onto his temper by the slimmest of threads.

"I volunteered to keep an eye on him. He accepted. End of story." Danny said, his voice shaking with barely restrained emotions.

"No it's not!"

"Okay! That's it!" Stella snapped. "I'm tired of you arguing about who gets to take care of him. If you've slept with Mac, raise your hand." Lindsay's jaw dropped when Danny raised his hand. "Danny, you get to take care of Mac."

"You - you slept with Mac," she repeated.

Danny suddenly looked exhausted. "Look Lindsay, this isn't how we meant to tell you. But Mac and I are involved."

"For how long?"

"Two years."

"And you all knew?" She asked the others. Stella and Hawkes nodded. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It wasn't our place," Hawkes told her.

"And it's obvious how much they care about each other, if you look for it."

"You flirted with me. And Mac let me play with the weapons. He went to the mayor's charity event without you."

Danny shrugged. "I didn't really flirt with you. Less than I do with other people. Mac sees himself as your mentor. The fact that you like weapons is a bonus. The last time he let me handle a sword I almost cut off my little toe. As for the mayor's charity thing, one, we're not exactly out. Two, I hate the things. Three, I was in the middle of an eighteen-hour shift."

Lindsay shook her head, her eyes tearing up. "I don't believe this. I just don't." She stood and rushed from the room.

"I didn't mean to hurt her," Danny told the other two. "But she had to find out sooner or later." He watched the door she'd left through.

"Like Stella said, man, it's quite obvious to anyone who knows you that the two of you are head over heels in love with each other. If she didn't catch on, it's her fault."

"We don't want anyone to catch on," Danny pointed out.

"She's a teammate Danny. There are things that should be obvious to us that no one else would ever see, simply because of the sheer amount of time we spend together."

He nodded slightly. "I hate to ask... but could one of you?"

"Yeah," Hawkes agreed.

-----

"I hear you and Lindsay argued over who got to take care of me," Mac said as Danny helped him into the car.

"She argued. I was insistent," he smiled at him, but his eyes showed the pain her final barb had brought. He closed the passenger door and walked around, getting into the driver's seat.

Mac grabbed his right hand and held tight, demanding Danny's attention. "You know that I love you, right? Everything that happened, it made us stronger."

Danny allowed a genuine smile and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I love you too. Come on, let's get you home before you fall asleep." Mac's eyes were already drifting shut.

"Danny?" Mac asked several minutes later as he woke from a light doze.

"Yeah?"

"The puffer fish poisoning ... you don't think it was someone at the lab, do you?"

"You don't have to worry about it. The others are looking into it. I trust them with my life. Even more, I trust them with yours. You're going to go home and sleep and take your meds and not worry. Okay? Trust me."

Mac nodded. He trusted Danny with his life. And let himself fall back to sleep.

-----

"Hey Hawkes," Danny greeted as he entered the morgue, where they'd agreed to meet to keep things as quiet as possible. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah. I pulled the tapes and I have the answer to who poisoned Mac. You're not going to be happy."

"Please don't tell me that I was right."

Hawkes turned on the VCR. "This is from Sunday, right before our meeting. She forgot about the camera in the breakroom. She kept the vial in her pocket and poured it into his coffee when no one was looking."

"Shit. I was really hoping I was wrong."

"We all were. It's too horrible to think about, that one of us could do something like this. Don's with Mac right now, right?"

"Yeah. There was no way I was going to leave Mac alone. I hate to do it, but I think Hillborne is the guy we need to talk to."

"Do you want me to take the tape to him?"

"Would you?" Danny looked relieved. "He might think it's tainted, coming from me, because of the earlier fighting between me and Lindsay."

"I don't mind. I'll take this to him right now."

"Thanks. If you see Lindsay– "

"I won't let her know that I suspect anything," Hawkes smiled. "Go home. You'll feel better if you're the one watching him until this is all over."

-----

"Danny! Can I talk to you for a minute?" Lindsay summoned as he opened the stairwell door to the parking structure. "I want to apologize for my behavior yesterday."

"It's okay Monroe. We should've told you." He suppressed a sigh of annoyance. All he wanted to do was get to his car and get home. But if she was here, then she couldn't hurt Mac. And he wouldn't rip her conniving face off. He'd try not to, at least.

"I wish you had. I feel like I made a fool of myself."

"You didn't. Look, I need to get back and make sure Mac took his meds. Do you think you could get some the files that are on Mac's desk and drop them off to Don for me?"

"Sure. I'll see you later?"

"Of course." He disappeared into the stairwell as she hit the elevator button. He should have expected the next move, but barely had time to react before a hand hit his back hard, pushing him down the stairs. He tried to grab the railing, but his momentum was too strong. He wasn't sure how many flights he fell, tumbling head over heals, until he came to a rest on a landing, his head connecting painfully with the wall.

"Mac's mine Danny," Lindsay told him, bending down to pluck the car keys from his pocket.

He tried to move, to grab her or stop her, but small movement he managed sent streaks of light soaring across his eyes and he fell back, unconsciousness claiming him.

-----

Mac woke slightly when he felt someone sit on the bed next to him. "Danny," he murmured, turning toward him.

"Not quite."

Lindsay's voice made Mac's eyes snap open and he sat up abruptly, a mistake when his pounding head nearly made him collapse again. "Lindsay? Where's Danny?"

"He's not going to bothering us again, my love. I sent him on a little trip."

He moved to subdue her, but suddenly she was pointing a gun at him. Cursing his slowed reflexes, he stopped and stared at her. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing for you to worry about. Now stand up, slowly. We're going on a little trip."

"You're not going to get away with this Lindsay. There's no way you're getting out of this apartment."

"If you mean because Don's supposed to be watching you, you're wrong. I already took care of the stupid, meddling idiot."

"What did you do?" he growled, summoning his strength. He waited until her back was half-turned before charging. She swung the gun and hit him across the temple, causing him to fall to the floor.

"You're supposed to be mine. You brought me out here from Montana. You chose me! You showed me the swords and the bow and arrow! I found out that you play bass guitar. No one else knows that. Danny didn't know that!" She pulled his arms behind his back and cuffed them together.

"Danny knew Lindsay. But it's my hobby. My me-time. And not something that he ever would have shared with anyone else, because he knows that, sometimes, I need time away from the lab."

She shook her head and pulled him to his feet. "I know you better than anyone. We belong together." She pushed him into the living room, toward the door.

"He belongs with me Lindsay."

She gasped and spun around at the voice. A pale, bruised Danny Messer stood in the living room, gun pointed unwaveringly at her head.

"Let Mac go Lindsay. This will go much better for you if you do."

"He's mine!" She pointed her own gun at Mac's head. "You can't shoot me without possibly hitting Mac. I win this round Danny." She pulled Mac backwards until they reached the door and then pulled it open. Only to hear a gun cock behind her.

"End of the road Lindsay. Let him go." Stella's cool and calm voice greeted her.

Lindsay's surprise had her jerking around which was the opportunity Danny had been waiting for. He tackled Mac, pulling him from Lindsay's grasp and cushioning the fall with his own body.

"You're not supposed to be here! You went away with Frankie!" She stomped her feet, pouting as Stella pulled the gun from her hand.

"Plans change. Put your hands behind your back." Stella made sure the cuffs were tight before turning her attention to the two men who were still sitting on the ground. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Danny gasped slightly, unlocking Mac's cuffs. "How's Don?"

"The bullet grazed him." She focused on Lindsay again. "Attempted murder of three New York detectives. You're going away for a long time."

She glared at them. "I should've shot you when I had the chance," she told Danny. She looked up when two uniforms approached.

"Get her out of here," Stella ordered them. They nodded and one of them escorted her down the hall. "Do you need an ambulance? We have one coming for Detective Flack. We can get one for you too."

Danny inspected the bleeding wound on Mac's temple from where Lindsay had hit him. "I think you might need stitches."

Mac took in Danny's bruised and pale appearance. "No ambulance, but we'll take a trip to the ER." The officer nodded and followed after his partner. "What happened?" He pulled Danny against him, holding him tight. He'd been terrified by what Lindsay had told him.

"I fell down a few flights of stairs. I think I bruised a few ribs, but nothings broken. I'm sorry. If I'd been here sooner."

"She might've shot you," Stella interrupted, kneeling next to him, forcing him to look at her. "I'd lay odds that you have a concussion too. Come on boys, let's get you to the hospital." She assisted each one of them up. Mac pulled her close and hugged her. "Thank you Stella."

She smiled. "You can thank me by giving me another week off. Frankie's waiting at the car. The sooner you get stitched up, the sooner the two of you can get home again." She followed them down the hall, watching as they supported each other. Lindsay would pay, but her biggest punishment would be knowing that she'd failed, Mac would always be Danny's, never hers.

End


End file.
